Electric railroad



(No Model.)

` sheets-sh'eet-1 O. SILL. ELECTRIC RAILROAD.

' Pate-nted'Sept, 1896. J'jz,

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, o UNITED STATES VPATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES sILL, or NEW YORK, N. Y..

ELECTRIC RAILROAD.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 567,517, dated September 8, 1896. Application file November 1, 1895. Serial No. 567,581. (No model.)

- T aZZ whom it may concern: g can be conducted from the conductor O to the Be it known that I, CHARLES SILL, of New motor as the car travels along on the rails A. York city, in the county and State of New The conductor O and the trolley-wire D are 5 York, have invented new and useful Improvenormally disconnected from each other and 5 ments in Electric Railroads, of which the folare automatically connected as the car passes lowing is a full, clear, and exact description. along the track. For this purpose a contact The object of the invention is to provide making and breaking device G is arranged new and useful improvements in electric railin the cond uit A', and consists principally of roads, whereby overhead conducting-wires a rod G', connected to the conductor C, and

ro and the underground duct are dispensed with, a rod G2, connected to the trolley-wire D. andthe electricity from the conductor isprop- The two rods G' and G2 are normally held erly passed to the motor in the car, all leakapart by a spring H, preferably formed of a age of electricity is prevented, and accidents rubber tube fitted in an aperture A3, formed to persons or animals in crossing the tracks in the inner web of the rail A, as shownV in r 5 are entirely obviated. Fig. 4:.

The invention consists of certain parts and The rod G' is embedded at its free end in a details and combinations of the same, as will circular layer of cement G5, held in' a short be fully described hereinafter and then tube G4, fastened on its outside by a layer of pointed out in the claims. cement G5, concentric with the metallic tube zo Reference is to be had to the accompanying G6, fitted in the inner end of the spring H, as drawings, formingapart of this specification, is plainly illustrated in Fig. 4. The rod'G2 in which similar characters of reference indiis likewise embedded at or near its middle in cate corresponding parts in all the views. a layer of cement G7, held in a tube G8, con- Figure 1 is a cross-section of the improvenected by a layer of cement G9 with a short 2 5 ment. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the tube G10, fitted in the outer end of the spring same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an H. The adjacent ends of the tubes G6 and inverted sectional plan view of the same on G10 are a suitable distance apart, as is plainly the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged shown in Fig. 4, 'and Within the web of the cross-section of the rail, the conductor, the rail, so that the spring H can give sufficiently 30 trolley-wire, and the connection between the to bring the inner ends of the rods G' and G2 same. Fig. 5 is a similar view of thev support in contact with each other whenever a lateral for the trolley-wire, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged pressure` is exerted on the-trolley-wire D. sectional side elevation of the trolley'wheel. The spring H normally holds the rods G' and The improved electric railroad is provided a out of contact; but when the trolley-wheel 3 5 with the track-rails A, on which travel the E passesv this section of the rail'and is pressed wheels of the carB, the said rails being prefinward by a mechanism hereinafter more erably of the construction shown and defully described the rod G21noves in engage-'V scribed in the Letters Patent of the United ment with the rod G', as they are in alinement, States, No. 532,293, granted to me January S, and consequently an electric connection is 40 1895. Each rail A is provided with a longi-, made Vbetween the conductor O and the troltudinal duct A', in which extends the conley-Vwire D. VElectricity can now flow vfrom ductor C, connected with a suitable source of the conductor O to the motor on `the car B. electrical supply, and on the inner side of the. The trolley-wire D is supported on the rail rail is ,formed a recess'A2, in which extends -A in ,the manner shown in Fig. 5, the said 45 the sectional trolley-wire D, engaged by the `trolley-wire being attached at suitable intertrolley-wheel E, mounted to rotate loosely on o Vals to atransversely-extending rod I, `fitted the rod E', extending upward and held in a to slide loosely in a bearingl', formed 'on-the suitable bracket B', attached to the under side upper ,end of a rod 12, embedded in cement 10,0 of the car. The upper ends of the rod E' are 13, held in a ,tube 14, set into an opening A4 50 preferably connected bya spring E2, (see Fig. inv the base of the rail. The inner end of the 1,) and are also connected to wires F,leading to rod I extends loosely into a cap 16, containing the motor on the car B, so that the electricity a spring ,17, the said cap being set in cement 18, held on the inside of a tube I, lsecured in an opening A5, formed in the inner web of the rail A. Now it willbe seen that bythis arran gement therods I and the trolley-wires D are supported in the recesses A2, and said wires are free to yield transverselT when the pressure is exerted in' a lateral direction by the trolley-wheel E. It will also be seen that by the arrangement described for making the connection between the conductor O and the trolley-wire DV and by the device for supporting the latter a complete insulation is assured and at the same time all moisture is excluded from the duct A', thus preventing leakage of electricity from the conductor.

The cement used for fastening the rods G, G2, and 12 and the several tubes in place is preferably composed of oXid of zinc mixed with chlorid of zinc to form a paste, the paste being immediately applied after mixing, and when in position it quickly crystallizes and becomes Very hard, waterproof, withstands great heat, and is a non-conductor.

In order to connectthe trolley-wheel E with the trolley-wire D and disconnect it from the same, I journal the rod E' on each Wheel in a sleeve E3, (see Fig. 6,) made of a non-conducting material and held in a sleeve E4, eX- tending through a slot B2 in the bracket B', and also engaging an opening in an arm B3, projecting from said bracket. (See Fig. 1.) On this external sleeve E4 is secured a ring J ,pivotally connected by a rod K with a crankdisk L, secured on a shaft L', journaled in suitable bearings in the bracket B'. (See Figs. 1, 2, and 3.) The shaft L' extendslongitudinally under the car and is provided near its ends with bevel gear-Wheels N, meshing with bevel gear-Wheels N', secured on the lower end of the staffs O, extending upward from the car-platform and under the control of the motorman.

Vhen the staff O is turned in one direction, arotary motion is given to the shaft L' to turn the crank-disk L in the direction of the arrow a', (see Fig. 1,) and thus pull the rods K inward toward each other and cause the trolley-Wheels E to move out of engagement with the trolley-wires D. When the staff O is turned in the opposite direction, the reverse movement takes place and the wheels E press the trolley-wires D laterally, until the rod G2 makes contact with the rod G'.

Since the trolley-wires D are made sectional, it will be understood that as soon as the car has passed off one of the Sections the springs H and I' will act to force the rods whereon the trolley-wires of that section are carried away from the rods whereon the line conductors O are carried, so as to break the contacts and place the trolley-wires of that section out of circuit with the line conductors. In this way it will be seen that all sections of the trolley-wires are cut out and remain dead, except when a car is passing over them.

The upper ends of the rods E' are connected with each other by the springs E2, so as to normally hold the Wheels E in contact with the trolley-Wires D with suficicient pressure to establish connection between the rods G2 and G'.

In order to permit the wheels E to yield upwardly in case of striking a stone in the opening A2 in the rail A, I provide the spring P, pressing Wit-h its lower end on the ring J and resting with its upper end on the under side of the bracket-arm B3.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the supports for the trolley-wire D alternate With the connections between the trolley-wire and the conductor O, but I do not limit myself to this particular arrangement.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An electric railroad comprising switches provided with insulation, consisting of tubes, and alternate layers of cement, the said layers and tubes one arranged within the other, substantially as shown and described.

2. An electric railroad comprising switches provided with insulation consisting of tubes, and alternate layers of cement, and a flexible tube receiving the outermost tube of said insulation, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an electrical-railway system, the combination of track-rails, insulated lead and return conductors extending along` the trackrails, rods mounted to slide transversely of the track-rails and into and out of contact with the lead and return conductors, sectional trolley-wires carried on said rods, a motorcar movable along the track, shafts on the car and mounted to swing transversely thereof, contacts on said shafts to engage the trolleywires, a crank-disk carried on the car, means to turn the same, and rod connections between the Crank-disk and the levers carrying the contacts, substantially as set forth.

4. In an electrical-railway system, the combination of track-rails, insulated lead and return conductors extending along the same, rods mounted to slide transversely to the track-rails into and out of contact with said lead and return conductors, sectional trolleywires carried on the rods, a motor-car movable along the track, pivoted shafts on the car, and mounted to swing in planes trans- Verse to the track, Wheels on the shaftsengaging the trolley-wires, a spring connecting the shafts and tending to hold said Wheels engaged with the trolley-wires, and means to move the Wheels out of engagement with the trolley-wires, substantially as set forth.

CHARLES SILL.

VVitnesses THEo. G'. HosTER, JNo. M. RITTER.

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